Tuesday, July 22, 2008

MARGIES BIMS

CHUCK MONTAGUE WAS UNDERGOING AN EXTENDED SERIES OF TREATMENTS AT A CANCER CENTER FAR FROM HOME. THEN HIS TREATMENTS WERE ABRUPTLY INTERRUPTED BY ANOTHER MEDICAL CONDITION.

BUT GOD ANSWERED PRAYER AND REMOVED THIS PROBLEM. LATER, WHEN CHUCK TESTIFIED IN HIS CHURCH BACK HOME, HE TOLD OF HIS GRATITUDE FOR THE PRAYERS OF GOD'S PEOPLE AND THE TRUTHS FROM HIS WORD THAT HAD MINISTERED TO HIM AND HIS WIFE, JANET.

AT TIMES CHUCK HAD WONDERED WHETHER OR NOT HE WOULD SURVIVE. THAT THOUGHT DROVE HIM TO THE SCRIPTURES, AND HE CAREFULLY READ PSALM 139. HIS ATTENTION WAS DRAWN TO VERSE 16, WHICH SAYS, "IN YOUR BOOK THEY WERE ALL WRITTEN, THE DAYS FASHIONED FOR ME, WHEN AS YET THERE WERE NONE OF THEM."

BEFORE WE WERE CREATED, ALL OF OUR DAYS WERE "FASHIONED" BY THE LORD. "IT LIFTED MY SPIRIT TO KNOW THAT MY LIFE IS IN GOD'S HANDS." CHUCK SAID, "EVERY JUG OF MILK OR CAN OF TUNA HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE, WELL, SO HAVE I.... GOD'S TIMING IS BEST."

AS WE SUFFER ILLNESS OR GROW OLDER, WE NATURALLY THINK MORE ABOUT DEATH. IF WE'RE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, WE CAN BE CONFIDENT THAT DEATH IS AN OPEN DOOR TO ETERNAL LIFE WITH JESUS. WITH THE PSALMIST DAVID, WE ARE COMFORTED BY THE TRUTH THAT THE GOD WHO LOVES US KNOWS OUR "EXPIRATION DATE."

FROM HIM, WHO LOVES ME NOW SO WELL,WHAT POWER MY SOUL CAN SEVER?SHALL LIFE OR DEATH, OR EARTH OR HELL?NO-I AM HIS FOREVER.

GOD'S TIMING IS PERFECT-EVEN IN DEATH. SO LET'S BE CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE WITH JESUS CHRIST. I HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT TIME.